On Tue, Nov 14, 2000 at 11:41:33AM -0500, Richard B. Johnson wrote:> On Tue, 14 Nov 2000, Michael Rothwell wrote:> > > "Richard B. Johnson" wrote:> > > Multics??? [..] way too many persons on this list who know the history of> > > Unix to try this BS.> > > > So, you're saying their nine goals were bullshit? Multics had a lot of> > problems. But it did a lot of ground-breaking. Perhaps you should reply> > to the nine goals, or the general topic of "Enterpriseness," rather than> > merely express your irrelevant hatred for Multics.> >> > Relating some "nine goals of 'Enterprise Computing'" to Multics is> the bullshit. When Multics was being developed, the singular goal> was to make an operating system that worked on DEC Equipment without> having to use DEC software. The emphasis was on trying to make it> work period.

Ummm, the way I parse the above statement, you are saying that Multics wasdeveloped to work on DEC equipment without having to use DEC software. Maybewe are inhabiting parallel universes, but I'm pretty sure that in my universe,Multics ran first on GE computers, and then on Honeywell computers whenHoneywell bought the division from GE. Note, DEC did bid for the Multicscontract but was turned down. Maybe you are thinking of Tenex or UNIX?

The original machine was a GE-645, which was a segmented, virtual memory systemusing 36 bit words. The operating system and system software was written inPL/1. Bell Labs had bought a GE-645 and was one of the three developmentpartners (along with GE and MIT) until they withdrew in April 1969. You mightwant to browse: